Those Late Nights
by Abah
Summary: For your late night vibes.
1. Chapter 1

She lifted both of her arms and a small crackling sound of her shoulder blade remedies her exhaustion. Towering skyscrapers began to darkened itself, as the work shift ended. Cleaning services working overtime was the last thing Mei saw before went back home. Her boss and colleagues have waved their hands, saying goodbye to rest before another shift starts tomorrow at 09:00. The ticking clock shows that it's almost 11:30 pm, ten minutes before all doors are closed. In this silent night, all she ever needed is a short walk in the park to get rid all of the frustration she had. The silence of the road upon her and the scarcity of human life has renewed her will to work, to live, and to enjoy life.

While on her way to the park, she met a loner. Just like herself.

"Hey, I thought you might need some company. Late nights like this is quite dangerous for a woman like you," said the loner. "I'm a loner, yes, but that does not mean I'm a creep or a weirdo, is it not?"

"Mmm hmm." Mei nodded at his question, agreeing that not all people have bad intentions in their hearts.

"So, what do you do for a living?" He asked, periodically exhaling his breath. Tonight was colder than last week.

"Cubicle, Computer, and a lot of paperwork to sign," Mei replied.

"Ah..." He stopped before he utters more words from his mouth.

"Yes, a corporate slave."

"That must be tough." He remarked while accompanying Mei to the park.

"What do you do for a living?" Mei asked.

"I'm just a cashier at a 24/7 store down the road," He said while pointing at an old store near the intersection. "Not much but if it is honest work, it's an honest pay as well." He replied as he put his hands on his sweater's side pockets.

"Do you have any relatives?" Mei asked.

"I do," He nodded. "But all are scattered between different villages and small cities. In times like these, my pay was spent on necessities and all." He gave a calming stare at Mei and asked. "So, how about you?"

"I do have a relative living with me, yes. I lived with my half-sister on the Apartment Rows. Not far from here," Mei answered. "It's just two or three skyscrapers worth of walking from the park." She pointed.

"I see," the guy nodded. He pointed his thumb backward. "Hey, uh, thanks for the small talk. I enjoyed it, but sorry for cutting it short," he said. "The park is just a couple meters away from here. Safe travels!"

"Safe travels. I hope we meet each other again." Mei waved at the guy, ran towards the intersection and vanished in between late night commotions.

An empty bench near the park's pond always caught her attention. Mei would love to spend over one hour just to sit and wonder and let her mind wander the unknown. Not tonight, however. The clock strikes 11:45, fifteen minutes had passed so fast after a janitor locked the front door. Not sure why, not sure how. A homeless man was seen sleeping on one of the benches, covering himself with scraps of newspapers and a bed made with old cardboard boxes. With pity, Mei moseyed towards the old man and put almost a quarter of her lunch money inside a tiny plastic cup that holds nothing more than three dollars and thirty cents. Enough for three hot dogs, also enough for him to buy one to three bottles of 40 oz. She took another walk and look around her that amidst the towering skyscrapers, there are still little pieces of nature, little pieces that soothe her soul. A sudden thought reminds her that nobody's home and Yuzu will come home a bit later than usual. A perfect night before bed to enjoy a cup of coffee.

Fifteen minutes pass, she arrived in her humble abode with an unbuttoned shirt and an exposed bra. Exasperation surrounds her aura, and the unending torture of being tired of work didn't wear off as quick as she thought to be after the late night walk in the park. As quick as she could, she turned on the coffee machine and brewed her favorite recipe, the Latté Macchiato.

The purring sound from the coffee machine's motor is silent enough for her to get comfortable with the windowsill. A place on which she often found lost in thought, lost in memories... Lost inside the wonders of feelings. At least, her phone battery was more than enough to provide her temporary entertainment. Yuzu keeps recommending her to listen to Lo-Fi, said that it could cure her exhaustion. What Yuzu has been recommending her all the time was true. It does cure her exhaustion, bit by bit, one at a time.

_I wonder why different mellow notes on repeat could make us a little calmer?_ Mei asked herself as she watches a commotion below her windowsill. She leaned onto the window frame and wondered. _Why can't I have this music earlier in my life?_ As she sighed, still listening to the music played on the background and still, the commotion down below is almost overpowering her sister's favorite playlist. Although tonight is her very first experiencing the Lo-Fi music, she was more than pleased to hear it through and through for almost ten minutes. Flocks of wind began to swarm around the windowsill. Tonight is not even windy, says the forecast. The wind blew Mei's hairs as flower petals and dead leaves surround her favorite place, windowsills.

If a place where she could call home exists in the world where people are moving around at a steady pace, it would be marked with glass and a rectangular wooden frame with a view overlooking the civilization or the nature. She has no clue why windowsills are comfortable enough for her to let her mind wander freely. Mei was fond of landscapes and sceneries, but those she finds during the night was the all-time best.

_I should make another batch of coffee. Yuzu will come home shortly._ _She would be quite not pleased when she knows I didn't make her any coffee._ _Girl's unpredictable, sometimes._


	2. Chapter 2

She parked the bike in front of the driveway and knocked on the door. An old man came out and brought her payment plus tip. Munificent of him to tip a young wife who's trying her best to support her family. The clock said it was already 12:30 in the morning and the last shift ends at 01:00 - just thirty minutes left to park the bike back on the store's parking lot and then head back home. In amidst the silence, her bright smile and cheerful attitude shine brightly. She put a lot of effort into her job to sustain her life with Mei, and she will do anything to make her little sister smile. On the way back, the dead road gives her a spine-chilling vibe - no life, dim lights, and no cars. Police siren heard from afar, thieves broke into someone's house, and dogs barking are usual commune in this neighborhood. It's not that spine-chilling when she looked at some of the brothels still opened their door for late visitors that need a late night prescription for pleasure. The overpowering smell of cheap perfume, human fluids, and cigarettes burning makes her third week's shift of delivering pizza even worse than the last two weeks. The sound of a female moaning, silent squeals for pleasure began to surround the air like none other as men began to have their way with their favorite prostitute. She should've known that this neighborhood once served a haven for prostitutes and all the kinks known to human beings.

Who on earth would live amongst prostitutes and their otherworldly kink? Still, a job's a job. Whether she likes it or not, Yuzu had to do it. The Lo-Fi Hip Hop music dragged her deeper into her sub-conscious of her mind, telling her only to focus on the road and not anything else. But, her mind tells her otherwise. The brothels decorated the whole city row like shelves of books. Some are empty, some are still having their guests, some are abandoned and decayed by time. Maybe the old man was an owner of one of these brothels, or maybe he's just unlucky to live amongst moans, squeals, and jaw-dropping actions, covered in a satin curtain, only showing its shadow as two or more people began to surround their fleshy pleasure machine. Sheer disgust overwhelmed her face and she had nothing to do but move on and continue the journey. Spending too much time thinking about the brothel makes her uneasy.

Late night deliveries have never been this unique. The Lo-Fi Hip Hop music makes her deliveries much more relaxing than any other songs. Street lightings pierced the dark subtle enough to show Yuzu her way back home. The old bike she uses to get pizza around town finally parked at the back of the store as she closes down the back door and put off the lights, ending today's shift. Lo-Fi Hip Hop isn't her favorite music genre, but there was a time when the top 40 mainstream music was not enough for her to enjoy the late night deliveries, there was also a time when rock music began to fade and doesn't seem right for any late night deliveries she did two weeks ago. She might have lost her way in the Lo-Fi, but sure it brings her back on track. The last late night bus ended its shift fifteen minutes ago. Although her pocket money is more than enough to take a bus, she keeps on walking. The star is shining, the moon radiates its beauty, and there was no one on the pavement, no cars with their loud honks, and the city where she lived with Mei today, was never as quiet as tonight's shift. There was just a cluster of stars, the moon, trees decorating the sidewalk, and a huge road for herself - without a single car to harm her existence. It's already 1:45 in the morning. Yuzu does not want it to end this just yet. It is one of the rare times when you sick of your life cycle and one of these nights happened to visit you for a silent, late night chat. The Infamous Late, Late Show with the Wind, Earth, and Nature - with Yuzu as the tonight's guest.

The clock said it's 02:15 in the morning. Mei was worried if Yuzu had lost her way back home. In the blanket of darkness and dim-lighted street lightings, Mei awaits her beloved leaning on the windowsill. Coffee pouring in the coffee machine and the sound of the cicadas on the tree canopy makes everything calmer than ever. Living with her sister never been this lonely. She grabbed a book and began to read three pages of the introductory part to pass the time as she waits for Yuzu. As she puts on her glasses, the door creaks.

"Yuzu," Mei stood up. "I was worried if you'd never make it back."

She hugged. "Well, the shift's pretty rough tonight," Yuzu kissed her beloved. "Are you trying to have some coffee without me?"

"I was just finished brewing it when you opened the door, Yuzu." Mei smiled and grabbed two cups from the counter.

"How's your work, Mei?" Yuzu asked, sitting down on the other side of the windowsill.

"It has been stressful, so far. I have a lot of documents that needed my sign and a lot of things as well," Mei said. "So, how's your delivery job?"

"Umm... Honestly... I got the last delivery on time..." Yuzu said, unsure.

"And then?" Mei asked, sipping her cup of coffee.

"Well, I was delivering a pizza to an elderly man somewhere near the Red Light District."

Mei widened her eyes and raised an eyebrow. "That's unusual."

"A job is still a job, you know," Yuzu said, throwing herself to the couch as the coffee cooling down. "Goes well with my personal top ten anime plot twists."


End file.
